Fleschner, Stark, Tanoos & Newlin March 2018

Advertising Material

March 2018

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O ur law firm is doing something I wish was not necessary: We’re investigating cases involving opioid-related deaths or overdoses requiring hospitalization. We are partnering and working with some of the best personal injury law firms in the country to see that justice is done for individuals and families who have been harmed by the opioid epidemic. Opioids are arguably the most addictive drugs on our planet. We won’t be alone in this fight. Many states, counties, and government entities have already filed suits against pharmaceutical companies to recoupmoney they have spent on substance abuse treatment programs, hospital services, emergency medical services, and law enforcement. Many experts believe the opioid crisis was caused by the pharmaceutical industry misleading doctors and the public about the risks of opioid prescription drugs, and the drug companies ignored the risk of addiction to reap billions inmonetary gains. If you are like me, you have been touched by the American opioid epidemic. My heart aches for families who have lost loved ones because of opioid overdoses and for innocent people who have been prescribed opioids for pain, only to become addicted. I have good friends who have lost sons and daughters, and I have relatives who have become drug dependent and addicted.

such as arthritis and back pain, despite the addiction risks. Unfortunately, various pharmaceutical companies jumped at this opportunity and oftenmisled doctors with inaccurate marketing information about the safety of opioids. Many drug companies downplayed the incredibly addictive properties of opioidmedications. Opioids are painkillers that include the illegal drug heroin. It should be pointed out that a 2014 study found that 75 percent of heroin users started with painkillers. Opioid drugs can alter a person’s brain. Even regular use prescribed by a physician can lead to dependence.

Here are a few of the legally prescribed opioids:

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Fentanyl Morphine Codeine Tramadol

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Hydromorphone

Sufentanil

Oxycodone (OxyContin) Hydrocodone (Vicodin)

Clearly, opioid addiction is a national problem. Use is widespread, and pharmaceutical companies have reaped staggeringmonetary gains. Since pharmaceutical companies were a large part of the problem, it is time they pay the innocent victims (and their families) for the damage caused. If someone you know died or suffered symptoms requiring hospitalization as a result of opioid overdose, call us at 812-231-5128. We will investigate to determine if there is a claim that can be brought against a pharmaceutical company. Attorney fees are only paid if and when there is a recovery. We believe in personal responsibility; however, if a person was prescribed an opioid and became addicted, he or she had no choice. They didn’t choose to become dependent or addicted. The pharmaceutical companies that misled doctors, hospitals, and the public about the safety of these drugs must be held accountable.

The initial purpose of opioid prescriptions was admirable. Originally, opioids were prescribed to ease the pain of dying cancer patients. However, in the early 1990s, it became commonplace for doctors and hospitals to prescribe opioidmedications for chronic pain

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